


Another Beat of the Drum

by Emony



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, NCIS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-09
Updated: 2010-01-09
Packaged: 2017-10-06 00:57:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emony/pseuds/Emony
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Protecting her friends is what she does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Another Beat of the Drum

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kaylashay81 (KaylaShay)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaylaShay/gifts).



> Prompt: Abby &amp; Dawn - Tattoos from kaylashay81. Somehow Tony wormed his way in there and wouldn't leave...  
> First posted 03 August 2009

Abby dragged a complaining Tony through a dingy looking door on a backstreet in one of the worst parts of DC.

"But Abbs..." he whined.

"But Abbs, nothing," she replied, throwing him a smirk as she lead him to the counter of the surprisingly clean and upmarket looking store.

"Ah, the lovely Miss Scuito," the geeky looking blonde behind the counter drooled, "how can we help you and your friend today?"

"Is she in?" Abby asked, lightly bouncing on her toes.

"She can be."

"Uh, she can be?" asked Tony.

The geek just grinned and clicked a couple of the keys on the laptop in front of him.

"C'Mon Tony, where's your sense of adventure?" Abby asked as she dragged him past the display cases of various types of piercings towards the far wall, the one decorated with photos of admittedly gorgeous looking tattoos. He spotted the one of Abby's cross almost immediately.

"You got that done, here? I thought you said this place was new."

"It is-" Tony never got to hear the rest of her explanation as he was distracted by a flash of green light from the corner of his eye.

"What was-?"

"Ooh, I like that one," Abby said manoeuvring him in front of a piece as large as her own cross, "Andy, is it new?"

The photo showed the back of a dark skinned woman covered with some sort of stylised red and silver axe.

"Uh, Abbs, I don't think that's really me."

An amused snort came from behind them and he turned to see a gorgeous, if way too young for him, brunette leaning against the counter.

"Don't worry, each piece I do tells a lot about the person, somehow I'm thinking that yours won't be anything like Rona's," the woman stood gracefully and sauntered towards them, holding out her hand she introduced herself, "Dawn Summers, owner of this little establishment. Lovely to finally meet you Tony, Abby's told me so much."

"Well, she's told me almost nothing about you," he said, shaking her hand.

"Don't worry, you'll be in safe hands," she said pulling him towards the door behind the counter, "you coming with, Abby?"

"Like I'd miss this!"

***

"Uh, don't I get to pick something out?" Tony asked as he found himself on his side, pants down.

"Nope," Abby said, "that's not how it works."

"Sure it is," he answered, trying to meet her eyes as she moved from one side of the chair to another, "you got to the store, pick out the tattoo, and then get it done."

"You've already picked it, Tony," was the only answer he got from either woman in the room.

"Full works, right Abby?" Dawn asked, then at Abby's nod began.

In the end he gave up, it wasn't like many people would get the chance to see it given where it was going and how his life was these days. He day dreamed, half listening to the girls talking above him. They chatted about Dawn's stores and Abby's work; nothing confidential he was glad to notice. Then they moved onto Dawn's sisters, or so he figured; Buffy, who apparently wasn't too impressed with Dawn's chosen profession but somehow was at the same time; and Faith, who thought it was great and was in all the time trying to persuade Dawn to work on several different people.

Sometime later the talk came to a close as Dawn patted his side,

"All done."

Tony closed his eyes, reminded himself once again that he trusted Abby and looked down towards his right hip, right there on the edge was a small outline of the Star of David inside of which was a finger print that looked so precise he'd almost think it was real rather than some photoshop ideal of one taken from a textbook.

"Gibbs' right index," Abby said, smiling as she told him, "I know all the teams prints."

Somehow in all the drama of leaving the store; Abby and Dawn making a coffee date for later in the week, the geek, Andy, attempting to flirt with Abby and Dawn reminding Tony of all the care instructions, it wasn't until he and Abby were back at hers, curled up in front of her TV with a pizza that he realised no money had actually changed hands.

"A favour for a favour," was the only answer Abby would give him. He decided to put it to the back of his mind as one of the quirks of Abby, there were far more important things for him to be worrying about anyway.

***

It wasn't until two weeks later, when he was walking Abby to her car after a long day at NCIS, that he discovered what Dawn had meant by full works. His eyes now opened to more than he'd ever thought possible, there were days when he wished he go back to thinking that it was just some random quirk of Abby and not real life permanent irremovable protection from vampires.


End file.
